A Garden That Will Not Grow
by authenticaussie
Summary: "How? There's nothing here!" The dark haired teenager grabbed the dirt, brandishing it to prove his point, and he saw how the man's nose flared, upturned in scorn. "Make it grow," the man repeated again, "Or both you and your brother will be killed. Thieves aren't meant to be dealt with so lightly."


"Make it grow."

His knees hit the dirt, shoved harshly from behind, and Ace turned a glare on his captor, lips curled over his teeth in a growl. "How? There's nothing here!"

The dark haired teenager grabbed the dirt, brandishing it to prove his point, and he saw how the man's nose flared, upturned in scorn. "Make it grow," the man repeated again, "Or both you and your brother will be killed. Thieves aren't meant to be dealt with so _lightly._"

_Lightly? _Ace considered spitting back, pushing himself to his feet and practically brimming with fury, _You're taking away our freedom! You're keeping Luffy locked in there, away from the sky, and you're hanging it in front of me, knowing that I won't run away!_

Invisible ties bound him to stay there, the pull of loyalty keeping his feet firmly rooted to that tiny patch of the world, and even if he wanted to, the threat of the knife that would easily slit Luffy's throat was more than enough to hold down his wanderlust.

His nails bit into his palms as he curled his hands into fists, and he grit his teeth to keep from saying something he'd regret. "Make it _grow_?" He spat, "_Fine_."

The man's lip turned just slightly upwards, a condescending smirk that almost had Ace take back his previous promise and just _punch_ the guy, danger be damned. Thankfully, before he lost the tenuous grip on his anger, the tall noble turned on his heel and left Ace.

Ace did glare at the guy's back until he finally entered the sprawling house, though. Only when the door had shut behind the noble did Ace sigh heavily and run a hand through his greasy hair, pulling the strands of his fringe away from his sight. Turning to survey his new domain, the teen had to force down the despair he felt at seeing how _dead _it looked.

_C'mon Ace, _he cajoled himself, _just make the garden grow. Make it grow, and then you can go._

(_You've never made anything grow before, _a treacherous voice in the back of his head whispered, _how the hell do you expect to do it __**now **__you useless idiot?_)

Shaking it off, he went to go inspect the plants, hoping that somehow inspiration would strike, and he'd figure out what he needed to do.

* * *

"_Shit!_" He swore, banging his fists into the unforgiving ground, desperation making him grit his teeth and tilt his head to the sky to prevent himself crying. He'd been trying for weeks and weeks to get the deadened ground to support life, but every time he coaxed a single plant to life and had his hopes lifted, it died a few days later, slowly wilting and draining of all vibrancy.

His current attempt (_number 46, _his thoughts reminded him, with a vicious sort of disappointed glee that he wished didn't exist) was another shot at trying to grow poison ivy. If he was meant to grow a garden against his will, he may as well have grown something that no-one would enjoy, but even as he watched he could see the plant turn brown in front of his eyes.

He considered cursing again, wanting to scream his resentment to the beautiful sky that taunted him with the promise of freedom, but instead bent to the earth again, pulling up the ivy in vicious tugs. _You have to grow a garden, to free Luffy. Luffy, who hasn't seen the sky in every day you've been out here._

_It doesn't matter if you've been rained on! Luffy's stuck in that tiny little cell, and his sky measures the span of your hand-_

Ace forced his thoughts to stop, pushing them from his mind and instead turning his attention to methodically ripping up every trace of the ivy he'd tried to grow; the supports, the roots, ripping the tiny, dead leaves from their stalks.

"Why are you doing that?"

Ace jumped, spinning around at the sound of another person's voice, and he lost his balance at the sharp turn, landing in the dirt.

"The hell are you?" He demanded, scrambling to his feet and glowering threateningly. Scraps of leaves were buried under his chipped nails, hands and skin browned from both the sun and the dirt he spent hours in, and the contrast between the clean palms on the boy across from him and his own hands was almost staggering.

Ace'd bet that this guy had never even _thought _about trying to grow a garden before.

"Sabo," the blond answered back shortly, and he continued before Ace could even speak. "Why are you tearing up the plant?"

"It won't grow."Ace kicked it angrily with his foot, sending the support sticks he'd fashioned by himself skittering across the garden.

"Why don't you just give up, then?" Sabo asked, expression one of simple curiosity.

"I _won't_," he declared vehemently. "I have to make the garden grow."

"Why?"

_Because I promised that I'd take of him, because I promised I'd get him out of there, because I promised that I'd never leave him behind- _

"Because."

Sabo huffed childishly, folding his arms. "That's not an answer!"

Ace stuck out his tongue, the juvenile victory making him forget his worries for the moment, and when he saw Sabo grinning he realised that he was smiling too. He quickly forced his features back to a petulant frown, and watched with a small sense of satisfaction as Sabo's own smile faded too.

Sabo shifted, kneeling down and gathering up the scrunched leaves that Ace had torn, gathering the tiny pieces in his hands, not watching Ace as he asked softly, "Who has he got in there?"

Ace jolted, eyes going wide, and he felt a surge of panic hit him. "Wha- No one! What are you talking about? I just have to make the garden grow, where the hell did you get someone else from? There's no one in there, what're you on?" _Shut up, shut up, shut up! _He shot at his mind, silently cursing his broken brain-to-mouth filter and how he blabbed when he was put under pressure.

Sabo just continued picking up the tiny leaf scraps, gathering them into his palm, but Ace could see how his head dipped into a nod.

Ace had no idea what he was meant to do - he was frozen, half-stupefied by the confusion he felt. When he'd made that stupid deal it'd never covered what to do if anyone ever asked questions like _that_ one. Plus, he'd rarely interacted with anyone close to his age except Luffy, and with Luffy he'd had years to get used to his presence.

The boy – who was probably a _noble_ – was invading space he'd come to see as his (no matter how frustrating it was when he tried to grow something and have it die) and though the blond was silent Ace wasn't sure what he was meant to do. Continue the conversation? Keep silent too? Pick up the leaves with Sabo, or stand there and stare? Walk away and pretend that they'd never talked?

Unable to move, stuck with indecision, he didn't notice that Sabo had finished picking up all the leaves he'd just so recently shredded until the blond was standing, offering his hand and all the tiny green leaves they contained.

"I'm sure you'll do it."

* * *

Sabo started to come to the garden more often after that; the second time after they'd first met, Ace had tried ignoring him, firmly turning his attention to burying the peach tree seeds in the dirt, digging some holes deep and some holes close to the surface.

Still, when another pair of hands joined his own – red and raised in tiny lumps from the poison ivy – he had to stop, shocked.

"What?" Sabo had asked teasingly, giving Ace a grin, "Don't you _want _another pair of hands?"

And Ace felt himself tentatively smiling back, ducking his head and digging, watching the back of Sabo's hands and the most likely painful bumps whenever the other boy's palms turned upwards.

* * *

"I hate this garden," Sabo spat, one day, when they both leaned against the wall, faces flushed from the heat and trying desperately to keep to the one patch of shade in the dead space. "It just proves stupid things. That no matter who you are, or who cares for you, when things become too hard you just get left behind."

Ace gave him a curious glance, making a noise in the back of his throat to show he was listening, and Sabo sighed even more, curling and resting his head on his knees. "Everyone before you used to try and give up once they got frustrated," he said quietly, "when they found out that no matter what they tried, nothing would grow...They just left. It didn't matter to them who was here, they'd just run away, and leave whoever the hell it was behind." There was a flicker of shadow across Sabo's legs; his Adam's apple, bobbing as he swallowed. "And then dad would kill them."

_Dad? _Ace thought to himself, the singular word completely stuck in his mind and shattering everything he'd built up from the bare hints Sabo would drop, and it almost felt like someone had pulled out the ground underneath him and told him that the entire world was actually viewed from another angle. Pieces fit together, slotting neatly as he lined up things Sabo had said to him over the (_almost two months, _his mind reminded him bitterly_) _time he'd been there, the little things that never seemed to fit but now perfectly aligned with the new information Sabo had given him.

Ace's stomach churned, a nausea filling him, and it was hard to fit the urge to throw up.

Anger surged within him first, the bitter burn of betrayal flaring inside his skin, and he scrambled up, feeling his skin almost buzz with his rage. Before he opened his mouth, though, his eyes flicked to the bowed curve of Sabo's spine, and he saw the minuet shake to Sabo's hands, nails clenched into his knees.

He opened his mouth to speak, but fury still held his tongue, and he had to swallow, biting back lashing words before they drove home the knife and killed the relationship he'd made with Sabo in the grounds of this tiny dead garden.

Silence stretched between them, harsh and taut, and he swallowed again, trying to find words that wouldn't ruin the delicate thing between them. "I won't," he said quietly instead, slowly moving till his back rested against the wall again, and he slid down the side, leaning his shoulder into Sabo's and seeing how the tense boy jumped at the touch, utterly shocked. "And when I get something to grow, both you and Luffy are coming with me."

* * *

"It won't grow unless you love it," Sabo whispered to him one day, when the sun was just beginning to set and he was curled around the blond, trying to stop the surge of anger and desperation and _uselessness _that made him feel sick to his stomach, and the feeling of tears making their slow way down his cheeks and staining Sabo's shirt.

But the only thing he could remember was Sabo's vehement voice from a summer's day, spitting, _'I hate this garden.' _

Sabo's hand gently stroked his hair, fingers combing through the strands and focusing on the sun as it set, bathing the sky in light pink and vibrant orange, and Ace felt a silent question resting heavy in his throat, on his tongue; choking him like he'd eaten something that'd gotten stuck.

_What if I love you?_ Ace asked in his mind instead, feeling his heart beat in his chest like a drum, pound against his ribs like it was searching for a way out, and distinct unease churn in his stomach.

_Then that won't matter. Because you won't love me back._

* * *

Pressing tiny seedlings into his hands, curling Ace's fingertips over them like he wanted to prevent them from blowing away, Sabo gave him a grin; tinged sharp with loneliness and desperation. "I gotta go, but you should try growing something with these instead."

"What are they?" He asked curiously, but feeling bitten back words try and drag him down, feeling a scream somewhere inside him that shouted _make him stay!_

Sabo shifted slowly, tiny bit of his teeth gnawing at his lip as he admitted, "Hyacinth."

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Ace asked instead of flinching at the flower's name, the hint of an anxious command in his voice, and hating how the voice inside his head whispered that this was goodbye. _Don't leave._

Sabo just waved and headed off, plastering a grin onto his face, and Ace didn't see him for a worry-filled month, watching faint snow coat the ground and turn his fingertips blue.

When Sabo came back, a bandage curled around his head, and his fingertips were individually wrapped, careful but tight enough to hurt when Sabo tried to start digging again. Ace didn't let him; he gathered Sabo into his arms and tried to hold together the fragile parts of the blond he knew would break under more pressure.

* * *

"Come _on _Ace! I told you that you can't make something grow in this garden unless you love it, unless you're doing it for someone you love, so why the hell can't you do it?! You say you don't want to leave Luffy behind, well then why are you stopping yourself from making this stupid garden grow and getting out of here!?" Sabo shoved him, vicious and angry, lip curled over teeth in a growl as he spat the words that Ace already _knew, _knew that he knew but couldn't find some way to _fix. _

_What if I love you? _Ace asked in his mind, quiet and desperate, and feeling the brush of the hyacinth's petals on his palm as it came to life beneath his fingers. _Crush it, _a tiny part of his mind whispered, because he knew now that even if he wanted to – even if he tried – there was no way he'd be able to take Sabo with him. There was no way that the man who'd so easily locked him away with the promise of his brother's life would let him steal away his son, and there was no way a tiny kid like himself would ever be able outrun a noble, especially when caring for something so precious.

_Too late, _that same part of his mind whispered, angrily, and Ace saw that Sabo had frozen, a flicker passing across his face when Ace moved his hand, saw the flower bloom like it was the middle of summer instead of the start of spring.

_Crush it, _his mind whispered again, but he lifted his palm instead, and saw hope blossom in Sabo's eyes. "_Ace,_" he breathed reverently, a grin stretching wide across his features. "Ace!" He crowed, lanky limbs moving in an uncoordinated dance, and he grabbed Ace's hands, pulling him up so that the two of them were dancing, spinning in jubilation. "You did it!"

"Yeah," he said, feeling his own bitter grin pull up his face at the sight of Sabo so happy, and he lunged forwards, enveloping the surprised boy in a hug. '_I love you'_, he mouthed, no sound escaping his lips as he pressed his face into the crook of Sabo's neck, and Sabo stopped, startled, before giving a laugh and wrapping Ace into a tight hug.

"God," Sabo repeated again, as though he couldn't believe it, "You did it."

* * *

They grew.

One flower blossomed into two, then two into four, and soon the whole garden was awash in delicate flowers with bluish-purple petals.

Ace cannot bring himself to love them.

Even as their green spreads and the once barren landscape is transformed into something lush and lively, Ace cannot help but desire the destruction of this place, because for every day that a new blossom appears, another day falls away to the time that he will be allowed to take Luffy from this place.

The time when he will have to separate from Sabo ticks closer, looming over him like an omnipresent cloud.

He curses the man who trapped him here.

He curses his own weakness.

He curses the innocent flowers that have done nothing, and sway carefree in the sparse breezes.

* * *

The man, the detestable monster that Ace loathes like no other, scans the garden with an upturned lip and a critical eye.

Ace expects betrayal.

He expects the demon masquerading as a human before him to discount his efforts because he had help. He expects the devil decked in his finery to tell him his brother is already dead. He expects the fiend with his sneer of disgust to say that he has not done enough, and demand more. Ace feels rubbed raw, flayed and exposed, and he awaits whatever salt this brute would have to rub in his wounds.

Instead, the noble laughs. A sharp, short bark that lacks any mirth that would surely have sent some icy chill down his spine or a churn of disgust in his gut were he not so damn _tired_.

"Who would have thought," The pomp of the man's very being is heavily accented in every word. "The little street rat would have actually done it?"

Ace wants to strangle him.

"Well," The man brushes non-existent dirt from his sleeve, as though just being near Ace offends his delicate sensibilities. "I suppose you did complete the task."

Ace wants to wrap his hands, dirt stained and calloused, around this man's throat. He snaps his fingers and all Ace can hear is the snapping of his neck.

Ace is told to follow the servant who has appeared, that he will be led to his brother and then they will leave.

Forever.

"You will," The man speaks as Ace passes him, "take only your brother. Or are you a thief, still?"

Ace says nothing and follows where he is led.

His heart breaks in his chest as anger courses his veins and his nails bite into his palm.

* * *

Luffy is paler than he remembers.

Smaller, he thinks, too.

Yet the moment the boy lays eyes on Ace, the familiar bright smile that Ace loves all too much breaks across his features; and as Luffy wraps himself around his brother, he cannot stop the smile that creeps to his face as well.

There is no fanfare to their departure.

Ace keeps a firm grasp on Luffy's shoulder, keeps his little brother in front of him, fearing every second that something, someone, will snatch the younger man from him and slit his throat.

And then open sky is above them.

Open sky, unimpeded by bars or walls, and though he has felt his fill of sunshine over time it feels different, refreshing, now that nothing keeps him chained to one spot.

His heart grows lighter with every step he takes from that hellish prison.

From the corner of his eye, he notices above the wall, on a balcony, a familiar figure.

Ace cranes his neck, and Sabo smiles.

It is sad, and small.

Ace wants to reach out to him, wants to scale the walls, wants to take the blond with them far away from the prison he has escaped; the prison Sabo has been stuck in for a longer time than he can fathom.

He knows he cannot.

Sabo lifts a still bandaged hand, and waves.

In some other world, perhaps Sabo was strong enough to leave this place. In another world, perhaps Ace had courage enough to raze this horrible place with fire and free him from his bonds.

But Sabo wasn't strong, like a flower never given enough support.

And Ace...

"Ace?" Luffy was staring with wide eyes up at him."Who is that?"

Ace wasn't brave at all.

"No one, Lu." He grasps his brother's shoulder again and hurries him away, quickens their pace to escape the tears building in his eyes and the falling pieces of his shattered glass heart. "No one at all."

* * *

**AN: Revolunacyfireboy is amazing and wonderful and helped me finish this off (all of their stuff is from 'They grew.' and afterwards) and it took sO LONG I AM SORRY PLEASE ACCEPT THE LENGTH AS MY APOLOGY, LOLLES.**


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